Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a friend, an Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. While there he met a Canaanite woman; her father’s name was Shuah. He married her and went in unto her. They had three sons Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah chose Tamar be the wife of his first son Er. Er was so wicked that the Lord killed him. Er died childless. Judah told his second son Onan to go in to Tamar and be like a husband to her. He said, “If children are born, they will belong to your brother Er.” Onan knew that children from this union would not belong to him so he deliberately spilled it on the ground so he would not give seed to his brother. This made the Lord angry. So He killed Onan also. This practice of a brother taking the wife of a dead brother seems strange to us, but later God would command it of the Jews. “If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.” (Deuteronomy 25:5-10)

          After the death of Onan Judah told Tamar that she should wait for his third son, Shelah. Later Judah’s Canaanite wife died. Shelah had reached a proper age to be married to Tamar and Judah had not allowed it to happen. Tamar heard that Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite, were going to his sheepshearers at Timnath. It is hard for us to understand Tamar’s mindset, but we must remember that people in her day were very dependent on their children, especially when the parents were older. Tamar put aside her widow’s garments and dressed like a prostitute. Apparently prostitutes dressed differently than they do today. She put on cloths and a veil that covered her. Judah agreed to pay this woman that he thought was a prostitute with a goat from the flock. He gave her his signet, his bracelets and his staff as a guarantee that he would send the goat. Later, Judah sent his friend Hirah to Enaim to give the prostitute the goat he promised, but he could not find her. When he asked about her the men answered, “There has never been a prostitute here.” Tamar was pregnant with Judah’s child. When Judah found out she was pregnant he said, “Take her out and burn her.” She brought forth the items belonging to Judah and said that these belonged to the man who got her pregnant. “And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.” (Genesis 38:26) This all happened because Judah was deceptive in his promise to Tamar about his third son. Tamar had twin boys, Pharez and Zarah. This account is important because Pharez was the son of Judah through whom the Messiah was born. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram.” (Matthew 1:1-3) What does God want us to learn from this account?

          Judah, his sons and Tamar --Genesis 38:1-11: The events of this chapter seem to have started about the time Joseph was sold into slavery. Judah went down and stayed with an Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. Judah met and married the daughter of a Canaanite man. The man’s name was Shuah. Together Judah and his wife had three sons. Judah named his first son Er. His wife named the next two boys Onan and Shelah. It seems that Judah was not home when the last two sons were born. “Judah chose Tamar as a wife for Er, his oldest son.” Likely she was also a woman of Canaan. Er was exceedingly ungodly and the Lord slew him or cut him off suddenly. Judah told Onan, to marry Tamar and have a child for his brother. By begetting a child like this he would preserve his brother’s name and family; this child would also inherit the dead brother’s estate. Onan was also wicked. He did not seem to mind having sex with Tamar but he was not willing to give her a child. The Lord was not pleased with Onan and took his life too. Judah told Tamar to “Go home to your father and live there as a widow until my son Shelah is grown.” Shelah was his youngest son. Judah apparently was determined to keep this son from marrying Tamar while he was young and foolish. He feared for the life of Shelah also if he acted sinful or rash as the other two had done.

             Judah went in to one he believed to be a prostitute -- Genesis 38:12-19: After some years had passed Judah’s wife died and he mourned for her. Judah was comforted and he went with his friend Hirah the Adullamite to Timnath, where his sheep were being sheared. Tamar realized that Shelah was grown, but she had not been allowed to marry him. She found out that Judah was going to Timnah. She put on something other than her widow’s clothes, covered herself and sat openly by the road to Timnah. When Judah came that way he did not recognize her. He thought she was a prostitute. God is displeased with prostitution. “Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.” (Leviticus 19:29) Judah asked Tamar (not knowing it was Tamar) if he could come in to her. She asked, “What will you give me if I do?” He said, “I will send thee a kid from the flock.” She asked for a guarantee until the goat was sent. She asked for his signet, bracelets and staff. He gave these things to her, they had sex together and she became pregnant. Tamar returned home to her father’s house and took off the veil and dressed in her widow’s clothes again as if nothing had happened.

          A goat to pay the prostitute -- Genesis 38:20-23: Judah had his friend Hirah take a goat to the woman, so he could get back his possessions from her. Hirah looked for the woman and could not find her. He asked the men of the place about her saying, “Where is the prostitute who sat along the road outside your town?” They explained to him that there had never been a prostitute there. Hirah returned to Judah and told him that he had been unable to find the woman and that the men had said there was no prostitute there. He said, “If you could not find her, we will just let her keep the things I gave her.” Judah wanted just to forget about the goat and the stuff so that he would not look foolish in the eyes of the people. We are often more concerned about what other people think about us than what God thinks about us!

          Tamar had behaved like a prostitute -- Genesis 38:24-30: About three months after Judah had sex with Tamar, thinking she was a prostitute, he was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has behaved like a prostitute, and now she’s pregnant!” Judah’s response was, “Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.” When she was being dragged off to be burnt she sent someone to Judah saying, “By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.” Judah said that Tamar was more righteous than he. He was not saying that she was righteous, but that she was a better person than he had been. He had broken his promise to let her marry his son Shelah. After this Judah never had sex with her again. Tamar later gave birth to twin boys, Pharez and Zarah. At the birth of the children Zarah’s hand came out first. The midwife tied a scarlet thread on his hand. But, he took his hand back in and Pharez was born first. Jesus was born through the family of Judah and through this son Pharez. (Matthew 1:1-3)

          Our Redeemer came from Judah. Anyone who comes to Jesus in humble obedience can have the pieces of their life made whole. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7) Jesus’ earthly life was ended so we could have a new beginning for our life. To be forgiven of sins you must hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus as the Christ (Mark 16:16), repent of all sins (Acts 17:30), confess Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9-10) and be baptized for remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) After baptism remain faithful to God. (Revelation 2:10) Let us learn from Judah the harm done by foolish and sinful decisions.